


Burning

by mar106



Category: League of Legends
Genre: (There's both), (discussed), Alternate Universe - Star Guardians (League of Legends), Angst with a Happy Ending, Childhood Trauma, Death, F/F, Hospitalization, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Jinx is Secretly a Worrywart, Long Live Feedback Comment Project, Love Confessions, Mostly Jinx and Lux-Focused, Mutual Pining, Near Death Experiences, Nightmares, Oblivious, POV Third Person, Screenplay/Script Format, Sharing a Bed, This May Be Overtagging But Idc, Trauma, Unreliable Narrator, Worry, prose
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:28:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24169612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mar106/pseuds/mar106
Summary: This started as as an idea for a single scene of an Animated Music Video (AMV) of the song "Burning Bright". After 5 months of on-and-off work, this happened. It's a mix of screenplay and prose, as my regular writer brain could not leave well enough alone.The prose is Jinx-centric and her POV but third person, they confess at the end.
Relationships: Luxanna "Lux" Crownguard/Jinx
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Song Links: ([Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49DEB-MAQ_4)) ([Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/6d2cQyhS2E4ai0VuNCorFC?si=Y3Ye6nVMTViaQOJZTm4liA))
> 
> Note on the whole "Unreliable Narrator" tag: that only applies for the prose bits. (AKA not the screenplay bits.)
> 
> Also, I know very little about cinematography and the like (a single unit in one year of english class three years ago) so there might be some weird/incorrect jargon/formatting.
> 
> ALSO also I use some abbreviations:  
> S = Singer  
> Ss = Singers  
> Final thing: lore for the characters is mixed from SG universe and Main Universe. (In case you don't know/had forgotten, my attitude tends to be: fuck lore, I do what I want.)  
> SGs = Star Guardians

`_Begin song. Instruments (incl. harp), background singers fade in. Soundscape echoes slightly, as if in a large cathedral or the like. Instrumental part is slower, with an undertone of sadness and slight hopelessness - that of fighting against an enemy which feels endless. you fight on, but there is a thought in the back of your mind: is this a war you can win?_`

`Singer: (high, floating, a bit slow; ethereal, almost) We were born from light before there even was a dawn. So pure, so bright. `

`_Shot of blackness, with 5 stars in line, far: green, blue, purple, pink, red. Begin to get bigger through verse, light growing below camera._`

`S: Falling from the skies above into our darkened fate, the time has come.`

`_Light at bottom of shot grows, becomes atmosphere, which stars - now glowing meteorites - fall through. On "darkened fate", divided shot of star guardians (wearing street clothes) in the instant the meteorites hit them. There is a considerable amount of pain on their faces._`

* * *

They never wanted to be heroes. Janna wanted merely to be loved and love in turn; Poppy wanted simply to help people; Lulu just wanted to have fun; Jinx was viewed as a villain by many; Lux had seen what being a hero did to people.

* * *

`S: Walking through this world, we bear the secret of our lives - the light we share.`

`_Shot of star guardians, in street clothes, lined up like the stars were. They look like they are hiding something - Lulu is grinning mischievously, Poppy is looking pointedly at the ground, Janna is smiling winningly (though it does not reach her eyes). Jinx is looking cocky and smirking, and Lux is blank-faced, though her eyes dart to Jinx once. On final part, SGs begin to glow their respective colors._`

`S: Caught in destiny we shine, for we are meant to be, The Star Guardians!`

`_SGs tranform. Singer is joined on melody by four other voices. Tempo speeds up._`

`Ss: Gone in a flash before our time, up in the skies together. The vow we have made has kept us strong; don't fade away, it's time to shine!`

`_SGs take off and exit shot top, camera swings around and seems to "fly up" to rejoin them, then passing them to capture from front. On second sentence, SGs, who had previously been flying in formation but separately, join hands. On last phrase, SGs dive downwards and time slows. Camera follows, spiraling around the group._`

`Ss: Burning bright! As we reach out for the same horizon. Burning brighter! Running out of time, we're chasing the light!`

`_Camera continues spinning around group; shows Janna, front & center, stretching a hand out towards something. on second "burning," camera pans to show civilian being chased by void creatures. SGs enter frame top, racing towards civilian. Multiple cuts to shots of them battling void-creatures follow during instrumental interlude._`

* * *

The first time they had had to fight, Jinx had looked to Janna to lead them. She was the oldest, and had been leading them up until then. Janna had looked back, not knowing what to do.

The first time they were in battle, Jinx had seen a side of Lux she had never seen before. The kind, nervous, smart-but-shy girl she _thought_ she had known started barking orders at all of them with a confidence she had never shown before. Her calls were perfect, and she knew just where to put everybody. 

After it was done, Lux had sat down hard on a nearby park bench, clutching the star on her chest and breathing hard. It had been a tough first fight, but Lux had certainly been doing overtime. Lulu and Poppy immediately leaped on her, giving her hugs and showering her with praise. It was unclear whether they were still riding their adrenaline or if this was their normal amount of energy. Janna soon followed, placing a motherly hand on Lux's shoulder and thanking her, as well as contributing her own compliments. Then she was dragged off by the pair of yordles to go get "celebratory" ice cream.

Through all of this, Lux had reacted appropriately, giving thanks and nodding. But Jinx had noticed a look in her eyes - as if she was only half-seeing what was in front of her. Jinx plopped down on the bench next to her, and Lux jumped.

"Heya flashlight. Wanna go join the rest for ice cream?"

Lux shook her head, whispering, "N-no, not really."

"That's good then." Jinx leant up against Lux's shoulder and tilted her head back, looking up at the stars.

"You- you should go with them if you want to. Don't just stay here because of me!"

Jinx laughs loudly. "Nah, flashlight, don't worry. I'll stay here."

* * *

`_Singer is only joined by one voice. Tempo slows._`

`Ss: Burning bright, as we reach out for the same horizon. `

`_Cut to scene of nighttime park bench occupied by Lux and Jinx, both staring up at the stars._`

`Ss: Burning brighter; piercing through the dawn we burn on and on, and on.`

`_Camera pans up to fill shot with stars. Time speeds up. Two streaks - red and pink - linger in the sky. Night fades and dawn rises as the instrumental section finishes. Singer is again singing alone._`

`S (with emotion): The thought of us stuck in my mind; I long for the days when we were young, the song in my heart, the light in your eyes.`

`_Three shots of Lux and Jinx pass in front of the camera from alternating sides at about 80% opacity, each with a slightly dreamy/sparkly filter. They coincide with the verses as closely as possible. The first shot is split down the middle, both Lux and Jinx in their beds, staring up at the ceiling. Second is of Lux and Jinx as freshmen in highschool, meeting for the first time. In the third shot, they are in theater class, and Jinx is singing a song to Lux with what is clearly satirical over-dramatization, with one hand on her heart and the other lifted up above her. Lux is giggling, covering her mouth and blushing cheeks._`

`S (with strong emotion): But now I drown in tears I've cried, yelling your name into the rain-!`

`_Shot is of Jinx in the rain, SG clothes torn and bloodied. She is leaned up against a concrete wall with her face to it, crying and beating one fist against the wall above her. She is lit by alternating blue and red lights. Instruments and singer drop out sharply, and there is a split second of the sound of rain, sirens, and Jinx sobbing. Cut to black._`


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where the whole "Unreliable Narrator" thing begins to shine. This is very intentionally very close narration - it may be in third person, but it is still from Jinx's perspective.

She looked so... peaceful, lying there. It was as if she was asleep - eyes closed, breathing steadily. Jinx brushed a lock of her hair out her eyes, remembering how Lux would glare at her bangs when they did that, and attempt to push them back into order with her breath. She never succeeded, but she tried every time. Now here she was, lying in a stark white bed, in a stark white room, in a stark white building, with a million machines hooked up to her. Their beeping had ceased to bother Jinx a long time ago, as had the hard, cold, stark white plastic chair. The rest of the team had tried to talk to her at first, but now they just took turns bringing her stuff and checking up on Lux.

Jinx lay her head on the edge of Lux's bed. She felt Lux's hand twitch against her hair, but didn't react. It had done that a couple times before, and nothing had ever come of it. She had learned it was best not to get her hopes up. She had been taught that before, but somehow Lux had made her forget. The woman's sunny disposition did that to people - made them believe in humanity again. Jinx sighed. _Now look where it's gotten me - gotten us. The leader of our team down for the count - maybe permanently._ Jinx started to sob. _God, please let her wake up._ She had never prayed before, but now seemed like a fine time to begin. Mostly she just continued to cry.

Suddenly, a wordless croak startled her up from her tears. She looked towards the head of the bed, and saw Lux's eyes staring back at her. Lux's bright pink eyes in this sea of whiteness. Lux's open eyes.

"-inx? Wha- Where am I?" Lux's voice is a croak.

"Y-you're in the hospital." Jinx can barely get the words out, stuck between wanting to hug Lux, wanting to break down, and wanting to do neither of those things. Jinx starts up from the hospital bed and grabs Lux a paper cup of water. Turning back to hand it Lux, she doesn't notice she is still crying.

"Oh, Jinx, don't cry." Lux's hand reaches out and brushes Jinx's tears away, and Jinx leans into it, letting out a choked sob. Lux hooks her hand around Jinx's head and pulls her into a hug which Jinx reciprocates, breaking down further.

"I- I thought- You were- You could've-." Jinx cannot find the words to properly express herself, and was not entirely sure she wanted to. She had seen death, knew its face, knew how it came unexpectedly and with no warning. She had seen the faces of her parents in the flames of their burning house, had heard their screams on the flame-born wind, had found the bodies of her friends, gunned down in the street or killed quietly in their homes. She had seen men, women and children taken by disease and accident just as readily as by each others' hands - or by their own. She _knew_ , and no one else did, not here, not now, and _she was not sure she wanted them to know_. She felt herself spiraling, deeper and deeper, until she was pulled back, pushed up by surprisingly strong hands from where she had buried her face in Lux's shoulder.

"Look at me, Jinx. Look at me! Look at my face, look into my eyes." Jinx did so, and was unprepared for the earnestness she found. And was that - understanding? "I'm fine. I'm not dead, and I'm gonna get better. I'm not gonna say it's never gonna happen again, 'cause it might, but next time we'll be ready, yea?" How could she say that with a straight face? More importantly, what was it about Lux that made Jinx believe her?

Then something clicked, and Jinx remembered a horde of little things that had all been adding up to something - the look in her eyes that day on the bench; her skill in tactics that could not be all talent, and the little patch on her bag - an insignia Jinx should've recognized; the line of berets at her recital, and the beret she wore to formal; her reluctance to talk about what she would do when this was finished - whenever that would be. Maybe she didn't know as personally as Jinx, but her family did, and Lux had seen that. Maybe she had dealt with what Jinx had before.

Whatever it was, Lux had pushed back the dark clouds enough so that Jinx was merely tired, not completely non-functional. Enough so she could sleep.

She managed to mumble, "Thanks, Flashlight," before the darkness took her.


	3. Chapter 3

_-hectic battle, too many, one got past her-_

_a scream that ended suddenly, horribly-_

_torn, bloody uniform, gurgling breaths-_

_"I'm sorry, Jinx..."_

_cold._

* * *

Jinx sat up in bed, breathing hard. _Where am I- oh._ She remembered brief snippets of Lux being discharged, and of Janna coming to pick them up. Jinx must've gone right to bed when they got back, seeing as how it was still dark out.

She lay back down and pulled the covers up, but sleep would not come. Jinx couldn't shake the worry her dream had triggered. She needed to see Lux, just to make sure she wasn't- no. She wouldn't even think it, just in case.

Jinx got out of bed and tiptoed into the hallway, closing the door to her own bedroom behind her. Easing the door to Lux's room open, she poked her head in, intending to go straight back to bed. Then she heard footsteps approaching the hallway and darted into Lux's room, wanting to avoid any awkward questions. The footsteps were slow and measured - probably Janna then, who paced when she had a paper to write, not Lulu during her zoomies. Jinx sighed as the footsteps passed by the door and faded. 

Looking at the bed, Jinx's breath caught in her throat. Lux's face was illuminated by a square of moonlight coming in the window, and it made her even more breathtaking than usual. Her already pale skin looked like porcelain, and her hair seemed to shimmer and dance on its own. Jinx could not resist the pull of such beauty, and before she knew it, Jinx was kneeling at the side of Lux's bed. Again, she felt like calling on the gods, but this time it was to give thanks for creating such a stunning woman. One of Lux's hands, resting by her side above her blanket, caught Jinx's eye. It looked like the perfect fit for hers, and in fact she was right. As she put her own hand in Lux's they fit together like puzzle pieces, and something in Jinx's chest swelled. This felt so _right_ , and Jinx couldn't help giving the pale hand a squeeze. Then it squeezed back-?!

"Can't sleep?"

Jinx nearly screamed. Looking up sharply, she saw that Lux's eyes were still half-lidded with sleep. Jinx nodded mutely.

"Well, here." Lux scooted over in her bed and tugged Jinx's hand (still in hers) towards her. Jinx's heart nearly stopped beating entirely. Did Lux really want her to get in bed with her? Another, more insistent tug and a look answered Jinx's question. She carefully slipped under the covers that Lux had raised for her with her other hand, and positioned herself on her side facing Lux so as to give her the most room. Lux grinned up at her sleepily and turned over onto her side, pressing her back into Jinx and tugging her arm over her, effectively forcing Jinx to spoon her. Not that Jinx really minded. She was mostly concerned with trying to calm her racing heart for fear of it disturbing Lux's sleep. Shifting slightly, Lux sighed happily and pressed further back into Jinx. Her fears were gone, but the old worries around Lux came rushing right back. In this warm moonlit darkness, it was impossible to deny that she loved the woman next to her - or at least was crushing very, _very_ hard. How could she tell her? Should she? If she did, what would happen? Would she be okay with it? Would she lose the friendship she had? Would Lux refuse to work with her? Would she go back to doing this alone, and get herself nearly killed again? Who would be there to help her? 

Suddenly, a hand touched Jinx's cheek, wiping away at tears she didn't know were falling. 

"Jinx, what happened? Why are you crying?" Lux's concern was evident in the way she scrunched up her forehead, and the look in those beautiful pink eyes. It made Jinx's heart squeeze as she stumbled through her account of the night's events, from nightmare to the noise in the hall to... this. That was, after all, the easier thing to explain.

Lux nodded, and said softly, "but why are you crying?" Jinx looked away. "You don't have to tell me."

Jinx wasn't usually very earnest. She cared about her teammates, but, well... Words were hard sometimes, for a variety of reasons. Tonight, though, something was different. Maybe it was the moonlight, or the hour, or her proximity to Lux, or what they had been through. Jinx had no idea.

"I. I want to tell you, but... I'm afraid of what you'll think of me."

"Jinx, I promise nothing you will ever say to me will change how I think of you." Lux's voice was earnest as she gave the red-haired woman a sort of half-hug. "Not just as your fellow team member, but as your... friend."

Jinx felt the warmth of Lux's embrace, and, decided, in a very Jinxy fashion, 'fuck it.' Looking down at Lux's shoulder against her chest, she said, "I, uh, like you. A lot."

Jinx heard Lux gasp and saw her jerk back to look up into Jinx's eyes. Then, she began to cry. Jinx felt her stomach drop.

"Sorry, sorry, I shouldn't have- oh god, I'm so-"

"No!" That made Jinx shut up quick. "No, Jinx, I'm happy. These are happy tears." Jinx stared at her, feeling slightly breathless. "I never thought you liked me back," she said, laughing wetly.

"Oh my god, we're such idiots. I thought the same thing." This got another, louder chuckle out of Lux, and Jinx decided she quite liked the sound. As the sound faded, Jinx saw Lux smile softly up at her, and Jinx found she was doing the same thing. However, Lux's face was quickly consumed by an immense yawn, and then a blush. Jinx made to get up and leave her to her much-needed rest, but was quickly stopped by Lux's hand on her arm. 

"Would you mind staying? Just for the night?" 

"Yes! I mean, no! I mean, that'd be great! I'd love that." Jinx was sure her face was on fire and/or glowing. It was one thing to be practically dragged into bed by a sleep-drunk friend, and something else entirely to be asked to stay by your completely sober girlfriend(?). Not that Jinx had any objections, but... still.

Jinx felt Lux turn over and snuggle back into her, giving that incredibly cute little sigh that Jinx now knew was probably contentment. Jinx certainly felt as if she had been wrapped in a warm, fuzzy blanket, and as her eyes closed, she could still feel herself smiling. 

* * *

` _After a couple seconds, the second singer from the previous couple verses returns. Instruments are still silent._ `

`Second Singer (quietly, almost whispering): Don't push me away, let's head for the sky!`

` _Second singer is joined by previous partner. Instruments - much happier-sounding - burst back in._ `

`Singers: Gone in a flash before our time, up in the skies together!`

` _Sharp cut from black to shot of Lux and Jinx flying side by side. They are coming towards the camera at a slight angle._ `

`Ss: The vow we have made has kept us strong; don't fade away, it's time to shine!`

` _Lux and Jinx join hands, rotating 90 degrees so as to be facing the camera as they go speeding past, flashing peace sings with their free hands._ `

` _Song ends quickly, and the only sound that is left is a quiet roaring, decreasing gradually in volume, not unlike the sound of a pair of small jet engines in the distance, traveling away. Camera has followed the pair to show them flying off into the sunset, leaving two glowing trails - one red, one pink - in their wake._ `

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "What do you mean 'Lulu's zoomies'?" you ask. Well, Lulu's reaction to getting emotion overload is to move around instead of trying to speak (if there was a way to verbally keysmash, Lulu wold do it). When she gets happy or excited, she runs in place, or sometimes runs in little circles. When she can't sleep (usually due to stress) she yeets herself up and down the hallway until she collapses from exhaustion.

**Author's Note:**

> Again: I know very little about cinematography and the like, so feel free to ask questions if there is any jargon/formatting that confuses you. Really, feel free to ask questions in general. 
> 
> Fun Fact: that last scene is where this whole idea started. 
> 
> Also, I have a cut scene - or, more like a cut extension of a scene - and I'm not quite sure how to include it. Thoughts?
> 
> This story is part of the [LLF Comment Project](https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/llfcommentproject), which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:
> 
> Feedback
> 
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End file.
